Transcript CLASS - Indiana Institute on Disability and Community at

Coaching & Natural Supports
Employment Services & Innovations
Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services
Hiring People with Disabilities
Makes Good Business Sense!
 Large, untapped labor
pool
 Lower turnover
 Reduced recruiting
costs
 Fewer absences
Employment Services & Innovations
Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services
 Good performance
 Good safety record
 No impact on medical &
insurance costs
 An ethical, socially
responsible thing to do
Outreach to the Disability
Community
 Walgreens
 Project SEARCH
 Hyatt
 Bottom-line Impact
 Matching the Lowe’s Culture
 Diversity Values
Employment Services & Innovations
Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services
Business Benefits
 Reduced Recruiting
Costs
 Reduced Training Costs
 Reduced Turnover
 Tax Credits
 Other Incentives
 Increased Diversity
 New Customer Niche
Group
 Increased Brand
Loyalty
 Improved Community
Relations
 Risk Reduction/ADA
Compliance
Employment Services & Innovations
Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services
Disability Etiquette
 Smile and be friendly
 Use a normal tone of voice
 Talk to the person with the disability—not
to his aide, coach or sign language
interpreter.
 If talking with a person in a wheelchair,
sit or kneel to be at eye level.
Employment Services & Innovations
Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services
Disability Etiquette, cont.
 Follow same first/last name convention you
use for everyone else present
 For people with cognitive disabilities:
 Speak clearly.
 Avoid excess words. Be specific and direct.
 Ask only one question at a time.
 Wait for a response.
Employment Services & Innovations
Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services
Theory of Mind
 What if I don’t know that you have a mind separate
and different from my own?
 What if I don’t realize that you are a unique
individual in your own right?
 What if I don’t realize that you have my interests at
heart and want to offer me the benefits of your own
experiences and thinking and ability?
 What if I don’t know that you experience things
differently from me?
Employment Services & Innovations
Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services
How to Aid Understanding
 Visual supports
 Social Stories
 Talk Less
 Allow for wait time (use silence)
 Keep it concrete and straightforward
 Do not use sarcasm or abstract phrases
Employment Services & Innovations
Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services
Understanding the Differences
1. Receptive Language
2. Social Communication
3. Visual Learners
Employment Services & Innovations
Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services
Understanding the
Differences, cont.
4. May process world in a narrow,
intense, detailed manner
5. Sensory processing
6. May be prompt-dependent
Employment Services & Innovations
Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services
General Support Strategies
Determine communication
message of behavior
Employment Services & Innovations
Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services
Understanding the Purpose of
the Behavior
Social Communication
Behavior
Structure
Employment Services & Innovations
Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services
Sensory
General Support Strategies
 Use visuals
 Tell the employee what to do
instead of what not to do
Employment Services & Innovations
Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services
General Support Strategies, cont.
 Provide models of what to say
 Is there a way for the worker to
ask for help/clarification/break?
Employment Services & Innovations
Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services
General Support Strategies, cont.
 Identify how task will be
motivating for the worker
 Slow down
Employment Services & Innovations
Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services
General Support Strategies, cont.
 Give time to respond
 Keep directions brief
Employment Services & Innovations
Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services
General Support Strategies, cont.
 Use work/break routines
 Be specific: clear beginning—
middle—end
 Teach it right the first time
Employment Services & Innovations
Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services
Strategies for Organization
 Daily individual schedule
 Monthly or long-term schedule
 Individual work system
 Schedules within schedules
 Lists
Employment Services & Innovations
Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services
Strategies for Organization, cont.
 Physical structure of work area
 Teach “Length of Time”
 Adjust the level of spoken
language
 Use shorter sentences for
directions
 Enhance oral directions with
written information
Employment Services & Innovations
Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services
Problem-Solving Strategies
 Visuals
 Coaching
 Theory of Mind
 Teachable Moments/Natural
Experiences
Employment Services & Innovations
Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services
Typical Supervisor Concerns
 Additional supervision
 Loss of productivity
 What if it doesn’t work out?
 Am I stuck forever paying a substandard employee?
 How to effectively communicate with
employees with disabilities
Employment Services & Innovations
Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services
Supervision Strategies
 Not required to lower quality or
standards for any employee
 Communicate your expectations with
all employees
 Workers with disabilities need feedback
just like other employees
 UPS 3-year study of employees with
disabilities
Employment Services & Innovations
Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services
Supporting a New Hire
 Help the person learn about
personalities
 Provide pointers about information,
such as breaks, dress, and coffee
 Teach special work language
 Check to make sure person understood;
ask them to repeat instructions
 Be yourself
Employment Services & Innovations
Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services
Supporting a New Hire, cont.
 Introduce yourself and make the person
feel welcome
 Introduce the new employee to coworkers
 Show the individual where things are
located and review policies/procedures
 Invite the person to join you and others
for breaks and lunch
Employment Services & Innovations
Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services
Emotions
 Be consistent with your interactions
 Help to discriminate between goodnatured teasing and when someone is
angry or upset
 Explain expectations for jobs or routines
Employment Services & Innovations
Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services
Emotions, cont.
 Help the individual, and yourself, not to
overreact to a situation
 Give criticism privately
 Ask person what you can to do help;
suggest a break
Employment Services & Innovations
Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services
Creating Mutual Respect
 Encourage co-workers to respect the skills
and abilities of all employees.
 Remember that the new person was hired
because he or she has the skills to do the
job
Employment Services & Innovations
Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services
Social Considerations
 Work is also an important social enterprise
 It is important to form valued relationships
 Establish informal employee mentors
 Theory of Mind
Employment Services & Innovations
Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services
Learning & Remembering
 Act as a peer on an adult-to-adult level
 Use straightforward and concrete language
 Allow extra time to learn procedures
 Teach multi-step tasks one step at a time
 Provide reminders (checklists, symbols, color
codes
 Simplify task by modifying procedures or
equipment
Employment Services & Innovations
Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services
Communicating with
Placement Agencies
 Inform the employee
 Be PROACTIVE
 Take advantage of your resources
 Keep the employee involved
Employment Services & Innovations
Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services
Strategies
 What has worked in the past
 What hasn’t?
 How are the same issues handled
with other employees?
Employment Services & Innovations
Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services
Common Concerns
 Medications
 Difficult to understand person
 Harassment by other employees
 When to seek help from Agency
Employment Services & Innovations
Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services
Employees with Cognitive
Disabilities
 A cognitive disability is any disability
affecting mental processes.
 People with cognitive disabilities do
not necessarily have decreased
levels of skills, abilities, or intellectual
functioning.
Continued…
Employment Services & Innovations
Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services
Employees with Cognitive
Disabilities, cont.
Possible Accommodations
 Job coaching
 Structured breaks
 Checklists & time tables
 Clear and concise
directions/instructions
Employment Services & Innovations
Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services
Employees with Psychiatric
Disabilities
Psychiatric disabilities are disorders of
the brain that may disrupt a person’s
feelings, mood, and abilities to relate
to others.
Employment Services & Innovations
Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services
Employees with Psychiatric
Disabilities, cont.
Possible Accommodations
 Job coaching
 Structured breaks
 Checklists & time tables
 Contingency plans to deal with
stress
Employment Services & Innovations
Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services
Natural Supports Websites
 VCU Rehabilitation Training & Support
www.worksupport.com
 Job Accommodation Network
www.askjan.org
 Griffin Hammis
www.griffinhammis.com
Employment Services & Innovations
Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services